Chief Robotics Officer Key to Creating a Robot-Ready Business

In the News

September 14, 2016

The increasing number of enterprises entering the robotics arena and the global adoption of commercial robotic systems across industries guarantees that robots will define the future of your business. How will you and other corporate leaders prepare for an automated future?

I call this the process of creating a “robot-ready business.”/

Just as personal computers, the Internet, and mobile devices have changed the world and turned businesses upside down, so too will intelligent machines and related technologies. How will your organization take advantage of current and emerging opportunities?

Is your business robot-ready?

If your company is not robot-ready, it will not just be disrupted. That’s for certain. What’s also at stake is your legacy, which may have taken decades to build. It could disappear forever, giving way to competitors that found an edge through the application of machine learning, mobile sensors, and automated processes.

Alternatively, if hardware and software robots are in your DNA or top of mind, you could more easily conquer new markets. You could retain market leadership or become the next global leader.

Whether your goal as a corporate leader is to protect your existing business or profit from new opportunities, your business must become robot-ready.

Which way will it be?

The robotics ecosystem, including influencer technologies such as artificial intelligence and networking, is advancing rapidly. How can a chief robotics officer (CRO) or another business leader stay up to date and filter the noise to better understand practical use cases?

AI and robotics are quickly taking the world in a new and unfamiliar direction. As a result, these technologies are fast becoming hot topics of conversation, from barbecues to boardrooms. Everybody is wondering — or should be wondering — about how to move forward with a robot-ready business.

For the first time, a company can “hire” workers (bots) without adding to its headcount. AI can help turn big data into actionable intelligence, changing how decisions are made.

A drone can quickly deliver a customized item to your doorstep, and in that process, it’s completely redefining the supply chain as well as the need for infrastructure. A hardware robot can be your salesperson, receptionist, or even companion.

Depending on your vantage point, you may find these developments fascinating or frightening. But you can’t ignore them. They are already happening, and companies are taking notice.

Chances are that someone in your supply chain or among your competition has already begun on the robotics journey. Some of them may be quite advanced with their efforts and adoption.

Where does your business stand in this new era? What strategy should you adopt for evaluation, deployment, and integration?

Irrespective of size, style, industry, or geography, your business needs to become robot-ready. Even players within the robotics industry need to understand and use technology strategically.

Robot-ready business examples

Coexisting with robots is no longer merely an option. Chief robotics officers are prepared for the new technologies as they remake the robot-ready business. As enterprises did with other computing, they have to take advantage of hardware and software robots, using them to constantly improve their operations.

In short, a robot-ready business is not just ready for the disruptive shocks among suppliers, competitors, and customers; it’s also innovating for the robotic future.

The business case for investing in automation is not hard to justify, especially when you add up the potential productivity gains and efficiency improvements. In addition, software and hardware robots can offer new customer experiences and a fixed one-time cost and amortization (no taxes, Social Security or healthcare costs, or paid leave).